Impossible Love
by Kelyse Llewes
Summary: They walked out of that diner in Philadelphia and never looked back. Well...almost never. AliceXJasper. Please Read&Review.
1. Alice and Jasper

**Impossible Love**

_**Chapter 1: Alice and Jasper**_

(Alice and Jasper's little run-in with rogue nomads on their journey to the Cullen's residence)

_Ours was a love that belonged in fairy tales…bloody, epic fairy tales…but at least we had each other…_

It was easy walking out the door with her, he found. It was easy to let himself be totally and utterly taken care of by this liltingly beautiful creature. Philadelphia had been cold and unwelcoming when he'd arrived. Wandering for so long had been bad for his soul and ultimately bad for his mood. So it was such a relief to find her. Or have her find him. He couldn't really be sure which way it had happened. Now he just didn't care.

Her hand was warm in his. Her thoughts were calming and optimistic. He had a funny feeling that this is the way things were for her. She was presumptuous of course, but that was part of her personality. Time would tell if this was where he was supposed to be. He very much hoped so.

He was curious however. Just as the question was on the tip of his tongue, she answered him. "We're going to Washington," her voice sparkled somehow. "There is a family there that I think we'll be very happy with. We can live there for as long as we choose."

"How do you know this?"

"I've seen it. It won't take us very long to get across the country. A day maybe, if we dawdle. Doesn't that sound good?"

"I suppose. I don't know Alice. It feels wrong."

She stopped and took his other hand, looking him squarely in the eyes. "I know it's hard. Believe me, I know. I never wanted to hurt people, but I suppose you've had no other option for a long time now. There are other ways. Jasper, there is another life waiting for us somewhere else. You don't have to be a monster."

His eyes shied from hers as he looked down at their clasped hands. He wanted to believe her. He terribly wanted to believe that there was an alternative to what he had been doing for the past eighty-seven years. He just didn't know if that was possible. Instead he chose to focus on the thoughts and emotions brimming with life and affection from this newfound creature in his hands. He would feed off her life and forget all the thoughts that could bring him down like hunger, pain, suffering, and an endless life with all of these things.

They continued walking through Philadelphia, going into several shops and picking up things that Alice deemed necessary for their journey to Washington.

By the time the sun was beginning to brim on the city skyline, Jasper was hauling around various packages and items that he couldn't fathom had anything to do with their trip. They all seemed frivolous and unnecessary.

"Before you say it, I'll have you know that these things are certainly necessary and each and every one of them will prove useful for us in our new life." She silenced him with a single look of her cute round face and those bright words. A slight smile lifted the corner of his mouth and he could feel amusement bubble on the edge of his mind.

"Wouldn't dream of it, ma'am," he nodded.

She tilted her head to one side to look at him. She set down her packages lightly and he did the same with his. There was always the chance of being robbed, but Jasper didn't think it would be much of a problem with a precognitive vampire and an experienced fighter. Alice reached up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and bringing her head in close.

"Why do you fight it, Jasper?" she asked.

"Fight what?"

"Why do you fight the happiness due you? I've seen the slightest smile on your face this entire time, and each time there is a moment when it could get bigger, when your happiness could truly bloom, and yet you restrain it."

Nose-to-nose, Jasper didn't know how to respond. He wasn't used to explaining himself. Maria never cared. He certainly didn't have a handle on his thoughts as much as he had a handle on his emotions. He didn't know why. He just felt it was something he had to do.

He opened his mouth to speak but Alice dipped in quickly and kissed the corner of his mouth delicately. She retreated. "I understand. I just hope that someday it'll be easier for you to smile. As impossible as it sounds, maybe you have hope."

She bent to pick up her packages again and gave him a sideways glance. Her smile was so intoxicating, he thought. There was nothing in this world that compared to seeing this little creature smile. He thought that perhaps there was hope. Only time would tell.

Alice decided that the evening was not to be spent travelling as Jasper previously assumed. Instead they took their belongings, now having been stuffed into large packs they would lash to their bag as they leapt through the wilderness, and found a motel near the outskirts of the Philadelphia area. They would begin their journey at the break of dawn.

Jasper didn't know what they would do for those night time hours, but he was somehow glad for the downtime being offered to him.

Alice was talking even as they walked through the door to their room. It was fascinating watching her as she thought and talked at the same time. She was very sweet, he thought, which was not a notion he had every before encountered. She was unique in more ways than one.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to sit still for hours. But I've never had the willpower to do it. Of course I don't need to move, but I want to. I'm sure that whoever I was in my previous life was someone with a lot of energy. I also wonder if I had this special ability of mine in that life as I do now."

"You don't remember your human life?" Jasper asked.

"Not a single iota of information from it. It is as black as night, except I have no hope of seeing the dawn. An endless night. It frightens me to think about it sometimes. Tell me about your life."

Jasper cringed and turned away from Alice, looking out the window at the clash of city and country. "It's not a pretty life."

"It doesn't have to be pretty for you to tell it."

"No, I suppose it doesn't. Some might find it fascinating. Others might pity me. I don't want pity. I don't want my past to affect this future, except I know that I cannot run away from it as easily as I wish to."

"We can replace it with new memories though." She paused and he could hear her pad across the carpet to his side. She grabbed onto his arm. He made an effort not to flinch as the physical contact with such tenderness was still alien to him. How could she show such affection to him after all the things he had done? "Jasper…"

He leaned his head to the side to look at her. She was smiling again, that bright and infectious smile. He couldn't resist her, a concept that was also alien to him. "I grew up with war on every front. My parents, siblings, northern and southern states; it all raged on with me at the sidelines. It took every ounce of courage I had to sign up for the Confederate Army. But after entering and going through training, I knew that it was where I belonged. After the chaos of my youth, I almost demanded the order of the military. It was easy for me to succumb to that routine life."

He paused to look back out the window. "I've gone from one extreme to another in my life. Chaos to order to downright maddening thirst to life-ending depression, if it weren't for the fact I can't die. Basic instinct has taught me to fight all of it. I fought chaos with order, thirst with discipline, and everyone else who thought to harm me or my companions at the time. Depression was the one thing I couldn't kick. It's the hardest thing you can imagine. I thought once to surround myself with laughter, to soak up the energy by little children, but I found myself focussing on the scent of the people surrounding me instead. I made myself leave. I went the next three weeks without a single drop. I thought starving myself was the answer. Instead I went stark raving mad and shamed myself so deeply I don't think I'll ever make up for it."

Alice's grip tightened on his arm. She wanted him to lean on her. Need her more than he had ever needed anyone. She didn't want him to leave her now that she'd found him at last. She didn't have to say any of it, but somehow Jasper knew.

"How did you know I was looking for you?" he asked in a very soft whisper.

This question seemed to surprise her, though not for the reasons he originally thought. Surprising Alice would be the toughest thing he would ever do, that much he knew. He suspected it was a surprise to her that he even asked at all.

Instead of replying she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head down to hers. Their first kiss. She didn't demand, she comforted, and she wasn't greedy. In this kiss he wanted to give her something, something that no one else could give her, not that anyone would ever try to kiss her after this. He poured his feelings into this kiss; his thankful and thoughtful feelings of affection and passion and desire. No one had ever made him feel quite like he did right now, except for Alice. There was a time when he would have sworn he'd felt this all before, but Maria had never given him this unconditional affection before. There had always been an objective, a favour to be done on her behalf. Alice didn't want for anything, except him, wholly and unreserved of thought or feeling. He would give her what she needed, without her even having to ask.

Fire exploded between them. Like two clashing forces, fire and ice, they rode the wave of desire that had brought them there. It was pure, unadulterated passion, unlike anything they had ever experienced before. They gave into it and let the happy feeling wash over them. To have found the missing puzzle piece to their lives with a mating so raw and exquisite was life-altering.

As night closed in around them, and passion locked them in a tight cocoon, they took the time to get to know each other.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone," Alice told Jasper later that night as they lay awake. She was resting on her stomach, her arms curled up beside her, the blankets pulled up only to her waist and her hair mussed from their love-making. "When I discovered what I had become I fought so hard to keep a level head, to keep a conscience separate from a desire for blood."

"It must have been difficult all by yourself," Jasper noted quietly by her side, also on his stomach, looking at her.

"It was. And the trouble was I could see the lives of those around me unfolding with the everyday decisions they made, and yet I had no idea where my life was going. I can see people coming in and out of my life, of course, but my direction is pretty much up to me. And as a newborn I had one direction: blood. I didn't like that direction. I could see the human's fate. Sometimes I would decide to give into a specific person. Then I saw the fear and the panic that would come. It terrified me. I turned around and never looked back."

Jasper thought about what she was saying for a while. Somehow it made sense. She didn't want to see their futures, just like he didn't want to feel their pain. "You're very brave," he told her quietly. "I don't think I would ever have found the willpower to turn away on my own. There were always others egging me on in the background, but despite the feelings of my...victims," he coughed out the word, "hunger would always win."

A slow smile spread on her face. "It's a good thing I found you when I did then. I wouldn't have wanted you to go mad. What use would you have been to me then?"

She was joking. He could see the twinkle in her eyes. He let go of a nonexistent breath he was holding when he realized this. He wasn't easy to trust those around him. Jasper by nature was easy to trust, but experience had taught him to be cautious of others, which is why he'd never trusted a soul in his new life. But, he was fast learning to let go of those fears with Alice at his side.

At the dawn, as Alice had foreseen, they packed up their belongings and left the city area at a fast pace and moved across the States to Washington on the Pacific Coast.

About half way there, not even at midday, they stopped, putting their packs down by Missouri River in North Dakota to drink in the scenery and see what kind of meal they could find. Alice was determined to feed Jasper, whose last meal was wearing off quickly.

They stalked some deer with Alice as graceful as the deer and Jasper more aggressive. He knew what he was doing. He didn't need to be taught. He just had to learn to get used to the taste of animal blood. He cringed as he brought his mouth closer to his latest kill but hesitated only a second before driving his teeth into the animal's pulsing neck vein. He drank to his fill. Then he had another. And another. Five deer later and he was just beginning to feel the fullness of his replenished system. Strength was coming back, slowly seeping through his veins. Alice had long ago finished, only having needed two deer to keep herself strong.

"You sure can drink a lot," she commented when Jasper came walking back through the woods to where she sat waiting for him. "I don't think I will ever fill myself that much. I'd probably burst."

Jasper's smile spread more quickly across his face. "You're a tiny little thing."

She hopped up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"You should," he replied.

Alice had gone rigid though and her expression blank. Her eyes glazed over for a few seconds, barely enough time to see it, but enough for Jasper, and immediately he knew something was wrong. "Alice, what is it?" he asked in a low voice.

"We've got company," she whispered.

Jasper's eyes darted through the trees surrounding the clearing they were standing in, his senses hyper-alert to new sounds of the forest. A twig snapped to his left and Jasper knew what Alice knew. "Good company or bad company?" He didn't smell human blood or any blood at all. Rather in its place was a sweet and tangy smell, that of another vampire.

Alice met his wary glances and replied, "I'm not sure yet."

"How many are there?" he asked as if he was already accustomed to following her predictions to move around obstacles, such as an impending confrontation with these newcomers.

"Three. Two men and a woman."

"And they're nobody you know, correct?"

"I've never seen them before. They must have heard us through the trees while we were on our hunt and came to investigate."

"Nomads?"

Alice nodded. "Young nomads."

Jasper's chin lifted a notched. He was prepared for this fight, if it came down to that. Newborns were his speciality. But Alice put her hand on his arm and his eyes immediately found hers. "Don't worry," he told her, "you're safe."

This seemed to aggravate Alice, despite Jasper's handle on the emotions surrounding them. "I know. I can take care of myself, Jasper. And the sooner you know that, the better. Don't bring this to a fight unless absolutely necessary. Remember the life you are trying to find. Let that be the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak..."

Her words drifted off however as their nomads came through the trees to their left. The man and woman flanked the woman. She was tall and elegant with flowing ebony hair, and dressed in neutral colours. The men were similarly dressed, also with black hair, though cropped closer to their heads. They walked swiftly towards Jasper and Alice. The men shared a knowing glance that made Jasper slightly uneasy, whereas the woman kept her eyes firmly planted on him. Emotions were dripping off the nomads as water drips into a trough. They were very young indeed, perhaps a few years old at most. Their eyes were bright red and livid. They were thirsty, and looking to test their new strength.

The trio came to a halt a few feet away from Alice and Jasper. The woman nodded to them. "I am Liana," she said. "My comrades and I are not from around here and were wondering where the closest town or village might be."

Jasper opened his mouth to speak but Alice interceded instead, stepping in front of him and subtly slamming her tiny foot into his. As tiny as she was, it still hurt a lot. "I'm afraid we are not from around her either. We haven't been traveling through towns, so we really couldn't tell you."

Liana's gaze never wavered from Jasper's face. There was something in her stare that he just did not like. If Alice managed to keep this from blows, he would be impressed. Otherwise he foresaw this ending badly.

"That is unfortunate," Liana said. "And we were so hoping you would be able to help us. We've been traveling for days and haven't seen anyone."

Jasper caught a snort in his throat, highly doubting this woman in front of him. She must think them entirely clueless. Perhaps she thought vampires were rare and a fairly new entity, because she obviously guessed Alice and Jasper knew nothing about the continental US. He spoke up from behind Alice, "Head south," he pointed in the direction, "in a straight line and you'll find someplace."

Liana inclined her head, "Much obliged."

Anger flew out in every direction from Liana. Jasper found himself tasting the atmosphere and hoping to calm the trio and turn them away. As much as he relished the thought of a fight right now, he also didn't want to disappoint Alice.

It took Jasper a second to lose his grip on the calm mood around them, a second to think of Alice instead of newcomers, and they were upon them.

Liana launched herself forward to catch Jasper off guard and directly in the chest. The two men lunged for Alice.

While on his back struggling with the newborn Liana, all Jasper could think about was getting to Alice. She was so tiny and so innocent to this world. She had been around for barely thirty years and she was not prepared for this kind of fight. This distracted him and soon enough, Liana not only had her arms wrapped around his sternum to crush him into oblivion, but she'd also raised her teeth to his neck, poised and aimed to strike true.

Alice had drawn the two men towards a set of trees. Her back was up against a large tree trunk, her feet clambering over the roots. Anyone looking at the scene would have sworn she was done for, but Alice had something else in mind. She focused on their futures; saw the one man leap forward and she decided she'd slip to the side. As sure as it had happened in her head, it happened seconds later in reality. This continued for a few minutes, the predicting and avoiding of their attacks. Soon the two men became frustrated with the little dance she was dragging them into and both clawed forward with more anger than tact. Alice jumped high onto a tree branch above her and then back down to the ground, this time behind the men. A swift kick to the head, slamming it off her foot and then against the tree trunk, one man stumbled back from the blow. Alice faced the second man, gave him a knowing look and jumped. She landed on his shoulders, her hands reaching for his head. In mere seconds she had jumped back to the ground taking his head with her and flipping his body up and over her tiny figure, slamming him into the soft earth, creating a nice crater for him to lie in.

In the minutes that took her to finish these men off, Jasper had been struggling and rolling around with Liana, who was stronger than he'd anticipated. He should have known. Something had been clouding his judgement, an occurrence that had never happened to him before, save for when he was filled to the brim with thirst. The moment Jasper was sure he'd lost Liana was gone. But it wasn't just that she was gone; she had been taken. Alice had grabbed Liana by the feet and swung her with more strength that Jasper had thought possible for such a small creature, landing her exactly between the V in a large oak tree.

Alice snarled in the general direction of the two men and Liana who was loosing herself from the trees. "You will take your business elsewhere!" Alice said in a menacing tone that Jasper had never expected. "You brought this on yourself and now you will leave now before we are forced to finish your young lives for good."

Liana looked positively livid with anger. Her hands were clawed and her gaze was low and terrifying. Alice simply smiled.

The two men were at Liana's side once again. Liana reluctantly turned to exit the clearing and the men followed. They risked shame rather than the end of their being. Jasper thought that was very ill-advised for they could do harm to others, but he would follow Alice's merciful lead.

Alice turned on him then, a look of amusement and slight annoyance tainting her cute pixie-like features. "Jasper Whitlock. Did I not say I could take care of myself?"

Jasper then felt one thing he was absolutely sure he had never felt before: embarrassed. There was something about Alice that distorted his senses and impaired his judgment. He knew it was totally new, and he knew he didn't like it. He was angry now, and he didn't have a logical way to explain it to her.

He decided that he would walk away from the situation. He would avoid her and go his own way. Despite their connection and despite all the things she had told him that would make his life so much better in the long run, he was prepared to surrender himself to her. He was used to taking care of him and his own, and having her do it for this one time had shattered his world.

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Jasper, you do realize that you can't walk away from me. I know where you would go, and I would be able to find you. I'd be able to see what you decide from across the country."

Jasper's mood did not get better from there. He brooded, but somehow Alice was able to stay out from under his emotional umbrella. She remained perfectly calm and neutral to his anger.

She then took his hand. "Listen to me," she said, "you can take care of me. I promise you that you can protect me, but not from others physically. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself from physical harm. I may be younger than you by half a century, but my instincts have never lead me astray. You need to trust me."

Tight-lipped, Jasper answered, "What do you mean 'not from others physically?'"

"Protect me from getting hurt emotionally. Stand up for me when my name is tarnished, when my pride, my feelings. Don't let yourself hurt me." She paused letting the idea sink in. "Don't get me wrong, I can still take care of myself in that sense, but that is your job now."

"My job," he said. He liked the sound of having an occupation again. For years he'd been wandering on his own, wishing for a different life, for a different job to pass the time instead of mindless meandering. And taking care of Alice was one of his prime concerns now that he'd met her.

Alice closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest, as if exhausted, though for vampires that is impossible. "Jasper, I need you. I have nothing else in this world except you. Don't let your mistrust take you away from me."

Jasper's head came down to rest on top of her little head, his lips brushing against her hair. She smelled so good. As much as it pained him to admit it, the fact was that he needed her too. Soon he would begin to trust her, and hopefully this new world he was walking into. He would believe in Alice is nothing else.

"You have my word," he murmured into her hair. His arms wrapped around her, enveloping her in a warm embrace. Alice nuzzled into his chest which brought a smile to his face.

"I like it when you smile," she whispered, not bothering to look up. She knew he was smiling. She had _seen_ it; he just needed time to bring it to life.

They stood there in each other's arms for a few minutes, relishing in the feeling of affection and understanding between them. Then Alice spoke up, pulling out of Jasper's arms only slightly. "We should keep moving. We can be in Washington by the late afternoon." She smiled.

Jasper's curiosity piqued, "Who is this family you saw? What are they like that?"

They walked back to where they'd left their packs as Alice explained. "The Cullen's. They are people like us who have chosen not to harm humans in the quest for food. They survive off of animals as we did today. I've seen us with them, and that is all I know, aside from the individuals in this clan. We'll all become great friends."

They began walking on through the trees towards their destination. "Are you always so optimistic?" Jasper joked as he took her hand.

Alice laughed, "I suppose I am. I see good things and bad things, but I always try to avoid the bad things. And I definitely don't believe in the impossible."

Jasper thought about that for a moment. "I used to think it was an impossible feat to move from this lifestyle that had been so ingrained into my system. I thought it was impossible to get over my hunger, my thirst for the blood of humans, and then ultimately my depression after ever feeding. But, I suppose you're living testament to the fact that I don't believe in impossible anymore."

"Good," Alice nodded. "Now that that's over, we'll work on another impossible that I suspect you have an issue with."

"And what is that?" Jasper asked, finding himself thinking that anything she said was going to be a piece of cake now.

"Love," she said simply.

Love? Love was not in his vocabulary. He wanted it, make no mistake, he even thought he had it once. But there was no love in that relationship. And now after all he had done, all the lives he had ended, he didn't think he deserved love, nor did he know if he was capable of giving it.

Alice smiled still and said, "Don't worry, Jasper, it won't be impossible for long." She linked fingers with him and quickened their pace towards a new life for both of them.


	2. Jacob and Renesmee

**Impossible Love**

_**Chapter Two: Jacob and Renesmee**_

(Jacob and Renesmee are having relationship issues as Renesmee wants to be a normal person, but sort of can't with a werewolf on her case 24/7.)

_That amount of adoration and unconditional love is almost too much to resist…or it can be the most annoying thing in the history of the world…_

"Why is he staring at you like that?"

Nessie's head swivelled, looking around the cafeteria. She knew he was there. She could feel him. She was just too ticked off to do it delicately. Especially since her friends had warned her of his intense glare, a deep concentration on her that she'd been living with all her life. All seven years of it. She was forever seventeen and forever having to deal with the bothersome Jacob Black.

Their gazes collided, eyes locking and annoyance flaring on both sides. He was obviously annoyed at being left out, and she was most definitely annoyed. There had been a time when her world revolved around Jacob, a time when he was her playmate, her giant wolf friend who carried her around, her shoulder to cry on as she changed and matured faster than the years allowed. Not anymore.

She rolled her eyes, nodded to her friends and picked up her cafeteria tray before standing to walk away. Nessie saw when Jacob's eyes brightened the second she started forward. This made her want to take the tray in her hands and bash him over the head with it. Instead she just moved across the cafeteria to where he was, sat down beside him, took his hand, and squeezed his fingers with all her might.

As a half mortal-half immortal being, she had much more strength in her system than her parents or other vampires. She had learned this one evening discussing it with Carlisle, whom she called Carlisle instead of Grandpa, mostly because he would never look old enough to be a Grandpa. Apparently due to the uncommon mix of vampire strength and her human blood enabled her to be twice as strong as regular vampires.

So squeezing Jacob's fingers as hard as she could manage elicited a slight grunt before the initial cracking of the bones as they broke.

"Ouch, damnit!" Jacob hissed under his breath, trying to maintain a cool head. "Nessie that hurts."

Nessie simply smiled. As she squeezed harder and yanked him closer with his arm, her gift shouted words and thoughts in his direction. _"What the hell are you doing here, Jacob?"_

Through gritted teeth he replied, "Let go of my hand and I'll tell you." She let go and he shook his hand trying to (a) bring the feeling back to his fingers and (b) make sure the broken bones healed back straight. "Geez, Nessie. That really hurt."

"So you've said, Black, now spill. What the hell are you doing here?"

The cocky, laughing smirk that Jacob usually gave her mother was replaced with utter sincerity. He and Bella Cullen had known each other forever, and the jokes between them were endless. But unlike her mother, Nessie knew if she punched Jacob in the face, he would most definitely flinch. She might even break his face.

The sincerity never left his expression. "I was worried about you."

Nessie rolled her eyes. "You're always worried about me. You. My mother. My father. You all need to just focus on your own lives right now. I'm focusing on mine."

"But there are too many variables, Nessie," Jacob urged.

"Don't talk to me about variables, Black. My aging, risking our existence by staying here, The Volturi, heck, even marriage as far as my parents are concerned, they are all big variables to be considered. Sure, but not right now. It's been seven years. I remember the last time the Volturi were here. I remember it all you know. It's not like I was some kind of infant."

Jacob heaved a sigh, "But you were, Nessie. You absolutely were, and you're still too young to be making these kinds of decisions by yourself." He reached out and grabbed her hand. "You have to believe that I am just doing what is best for you."

"_What's best for me? For me? Are you sure you're not just keeping an eye on what's yours? Huh? Let's say we cut the crap, and you just admit that you want to protect me because I belong to you and you can't handle my need for freedom?" _

She raised her eyebrows at him, daring him to deny it. But he had been in her life for far too long, and she knew him far too well. He wouldn't deny it. He would change the subject instead, thinking it would deter Nessie's thoughts. It was a sad conclusion that despite her gift and despite having lived in close proximity to Jacob for the past seven years of her life, he still didn't know her that well.

Nessie stood and started to walk away from the cafeteria table. She glanced back to where her friends were sitting and sighed with the realization that soon she would have to leave them. She looked young. Too young. At least her parents looked a little older than she did. Her mother perhaps not so much, but her father definitely looked older. Edward Cullen was from a different era, and had matured a lot faster in his youth than Bella Cullen, _née_ Swan. She had been ready for her fate a lot quicker than Edward, but she was still young.

Knowing that Jake was following her out, Nessie went to her locker, dialled the combination quickly, retrieved her belongings, her car keys, and then make a quick dash for the door. As she was walking out the front door of the school she caught a glimpse of Jacob's black motorbike. She eyed it, briefly considering stealing it. But she decided against it, knowing her sports car was faster than his bike. But just to slow him down, as she swooped by the bike she nicked the keys that were still hanging in the ignition. It wouldn't slow him down much, but it would at the very least inconvenience him.

She clicked the button on her automatic key lock and the door of her Audi R8 GT swung open and she tossed her backpack across to the passenger side and settled into the driver's seat. She had three more hours of class, but this was the only way she knew how to sufficiently get rid of Jacob.

Putting her baby in gear she reversed, and looking out the rear window she could see Jacob searching for his bike keys. She zipped down her window and held her hand out, dangling the keys on her fingers. He saw and she revved the engine and took off out of the school parking lot.

Zooming along the highway, Nessie brought her arm back into the car, tossed the bike keys on the dash and put pedal to the metal. Her aim: to get as far away from Jake as she could manage, at least for the time being. He'd be at home when she pulled up to the Cullen residence, but at least she didn't have to deal with his bullshit right then.

She was heading around a corner at a hundred miles an hour when she noticed a yellow Porsche in her rear-view mirror. Giving a resentful sigh she slowed her speed but didn't stop. It wasn't until a red Ferrari pulled out from behind the Porsche and passed the Audi that Nessie got severely ticked off.

She pulled over on the shoulder of the road and smacked her hand off the steering wheel. "God damnit!" she exclaimed. "Can't I get some damned peace and quiet around here?"

Alice's head popped into the driver's window. "I'm sure you could kid, so long as you're not alone."

"That's not really the same thing," Nessie ground out.

Nessie looked ahead to see Rose getting out of her Ferrari and walked over to the Audi in her stiletto heeled boots, fiery red leather jacket and striking blonde hair. As much as Nessie loved Rose, sometimes she could be worse than Jacob.

"Taking off...again?" Rose said with a smile on her face. "Such a rebellious teenager."

"Yeah, I'm a rebellious teenager who needs space. All this coddling is starting to get on my nerves." I held the steering wheel and used all my restraint to resist ripping it off and tearing it to bits.

"Who got you all twisted out of joint anyways?" Alice asked, obviously having just seen Nessie taking off and not the cause behind it. Jacob, for all intents and purposes, was hidden from Alice's uncannily accurate premonitions.

Rose's eyebrow lifted slightly. She knew what had caused this. "Two guesses, Alice."

Alice frowned. "Damn that Jacob Black and his wolf-pack. I hate it how I can't see them, especially when Jacob's hurting our Renesmee."

"I'd like to be nobody's Renesmee," Nessie muttered.

"You'd best talk to your parents if that's your issue, Nessie. I'm sure they could reign in Jacob a bit too." Alice's suggestion had Nessie reaching for the keys in her ignition again.

"I could take care of Jacob if I wanted to. I swear he'd be dust within a matter of seconds. But Mom would never let me, and I'm pretty sure I'd regret it later. I'll just ask to see if we can go on a vacation somewhere. I don't really know." She turned the keys and the Audi engine roared to life. "You guys tailing me home?"

Rose nodded, "Right behind you, Squirt." Her playful attitude said that she was neither agitated nor upset at Nessie's ditching school. Although this was her first go around of high school, Nessie would get the opportunity several times in her life, so it wasn't a big deal.

Nessie hit the gas and was off like a shot, up the road and following the various twists and turns to get to the Cullen residence...where Jacob was indeed waiting.

Nessie scowled, grabbed her backpack and Jacob's bike keys. No bike in sight meant he had gone all wolf and run back. She threw the keys in his direction, not caring whether he caught them or not.

She whipped up the stone steps that went to the front door, wrenched it open and started yelling. "Mom! Dad!"

They were at the top of the stairs in a flash. Behind them were Carlisle and Esme, looking the part of concerned grandparents.

Her mother descended the stairs first, having a very close connection to her daughter. "What is it, Renesmee?" Bella was the only one who still regularly called Nessie by her whole name. Having detested the nickname when Nessie was born gave her strong aversion to name. "What's wrong?"

Nessie held out her hand to her mother, feeling that this was the best way to communicate everything that had happened. Her father would be reading her mind as Nessie told her mother everything.

Edward was finished reading his daughter before Nessie had finished telling Bella her story. He was down the stairs and out the front door before Nessie could blink, but she was used to that.

Her mom took her hand in kind then and said, "Don't worry. We'll handle this. Jake has got to learn his boundaries. I never was the moody teenager who wanted to be left alone. He infuriated me beyond belief sometimes though, and I wanted to tear him limb-from-limb. I'm thankful you haven't resorted to that yet." Her smile was endearing and Nessie breathed a sigh of relief. She knew her mother of all people would understand. "We'd best go outside now though, just to make sure your father hasn't dismembered Jake. He wouldn't like himself too much afterwards."

Nessie and Bella walked out the front door expecting to see Edward and Jake fighting to the death, but what they saw instead they had not been prepared for.

Jane and Alec had returned.

Mirroring each other's movements, Edward and Jacob were facing the Volturi guards, praying with their lives that this would not end in bloodshed.

Nessie's first instinct, because there was still some part of her deep down that claimed Jacob as her own, she rushed forward and put her hand on his arm. His arms went out immediately to shield her from the oncoming Volturi guards. He was the one who should have been behind her really, he should have been behind everyone because he was the only non-vampire entity in the area, but instead he stood his ground. Being a werewolf, and being Jacob, by nature made him cocky and protective of Nessie.

She glanced behind her and saw her mother staring at Jane and Alec. Bella knew, just as well as Nessie did that the things they were capable of would harm more than one person in this family. Her shield would go up instinctively. Being a vampire for the last 7 years had given her a lot of time to work on her skills. There had never been another threat in all those years, but still she prepared and worked her mind, knowing that at any day the Volturi could come back. And they had.

Edward spoke from in front of Nessie and she glanced back. "Welcome, Jane, Alec, what brings you to our part of the world?" He was gracious and welcoming, but Nessie knew he'd be reading every single thought that they were thinking. He knew why they'd come, but the rest of the family, including Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, Alice and Rose, who had gathered behind Bella mother now, did not know. It occurred to Nessie then that Alice had not seen this coming and she wondered why?

With her fingers still resting on Jake's arm Nessie awaited Jane's answer, because it was normally she who answered to formal greetings, more so than Alec.

"Seven years," she finally spoke, "and we have watched closely. In all these seven years you have not left Forks. There are whispers that you and your family are ageless. Why have you not left?"

Edward looked from Jane and then up over his shoulder towards Bella, who caught his gaze with hers. Both knew the reason, as did Nessie. It was Charlie. Charlie had requested to know as little of the details as possible, but for Bella and Nessie to stay in his life. To him Nessie was still the adopted daughter and not biological, and to the rest of Forks she was another one of Carlisle and Esme's adoptees. But Nessie doubted her parents wanted the Volturi knowing why they were still here. Outsiders weren't supposed to know.

Edward then made eye contact with his daughter and she somehow knew what he was thinking. He wanted to use her as the excuse. And whereas other times he would not have drawn attention to her in any way, he knew she could protect herself now. It would be better than having the Volturi know about Charlie. Nessie nodded her head and Edward turned back to Jane and Alec.

Nessie wanted to move out from behind the mountain of a man standing in front of her, so her hand left his arm before he could discern what she was thinking, and slipped around to stand in front of him. He was a good foot taller than her so he wouldn't have any trouble seeing what was going on. His hands that had previously been splayed to protect her like a shield now reached forward to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him.

"_You do realize that my mom has her shield up and they can't hurt us? You can stop being so clingy. It's one of the reasons I want to get away from you so much. You're just too damn protective!"_

Nessie hoped that he understood her thoughts. And to let her know he did, he let one hand drop from her waist and was about to let the other one drop but she grabbed it and held fast. Where she wasn't afraid of the Volturi, Nessie was afraid he would think she didn't want him around anymore. She did want him around. She just didn't like it when he followed her everywhere. Right now though, she was grateful for someone to lean on.

Edward spoke again, "My daughter grew quickly, more quickly than any of us could have anticipated. She also learns fast, but we wanted her to have her high school experience, as each one of us did. She started high school here and we did not want to risk uprooting her. She has made friends and we want her to graduate from here. Then we will leave."

Jane's chin turned up slightly, as if she intended to look down on Edward even though she herself was a foot shorter than he was. "Your explanation is unacceptable. As an immortal she should know that the safety of her Coven is more important than wanting a human experience." Her gaze slid from Edward's to pierce Nessie with an evil stare. "Your foolish whims could get your family killed."

Nessie briefly glanced at her father who nodded before she turned back to Jane and answered her accusation. "I am only half immortal, Jane. Therefore I am also half human. Having a human experience is essential to being a vampire-human hybrid. I have one more year of school and then I graduate. At that time it is my family's intent to travel away from Forks. But no sooner."

Jane's eyes became menacing, as if she thought Nessie too lowly to speak to her. Still she listened. Then her glare became smug. "Aro has asked me to convey a message to you, Renesmee."

It was Nessie's turn to glare. She still remembered Aro from when she was very small, just as she could remember Jane and Alec and their attempts to harm her family and the new friends she made. She did not have any warm feelings towards Aro but was curious what he could possibly wish to say to her.

"He wanted you to know that in the case that your own family life becomes tedious and weary to you, you shall always have a place among the Volturi, should you wish it."

"What you mean to say is that Aro would love to use my abilities to have the lifestyle he and his order deem necessary for their royal stature. You may tell him, Jane, that if I ever feel like being used, like being a chess piece being told what to do and when to do it, I will let him know. Until then, I would advise you never to request that of me again, because I really don't like being told what to do."

She finished speaking and watched as Jane kept her cool, her face completely expressionless. Rarely did someone lose their temper with the Volturi, but then again it was rare that a child was born to a human and an immortal. An anomaly causing an anomaly only seemed right.

Out of the corner of her eye Nessie noticed Carlisle had come forward. Knowing Carlisle she knew he would offer Jane and Alec some sort of hospitality. She didn't want to hear it though. She must have been broadcasting her thoughts and through their skin contact Jake heard her and started to pull her backwards. She let him.

They walked back through her family. She made eye contact with each one of them and they smiled. Her family was very understanding and she really appreciated everything that they'd ever done for her. To lay their lives down on the line for her when she was so young was a very big thing, and Nessie never wanted to forget it. She was very grateful and wanted to repay them for it someday.

Looking at her mother's relaxed stance as Nessie passed she knew that the danger was gone but everyone was still cautious. Bella smiled at her daughter and Jacob. She and Jake had been friends for a long time and even though Nessie knew she had a special connection with him, she also knew that the connection between Bella and Jake went far deeper. She was still young and her relationship with Jake was nowhere close to being what he and Bella had. Deep down she was a little jealous that they could look at each other and know what each other was thinking immediately, but she knew that Jake was hers. He'd been a big brother when she was growing up and now that she was as grown up as she was ever going to be, Nessie knew he wanted more.

Was she willing to give him more though? He was very protective of her and it interfered with a lot of her day-to-day activities. Like today at school for instance, he was glaring at her in front of all her friends. She realized then that she didn't actually know why he was staring at her so intensely.

They were inside the house now. She'd moved into the house about a year ago to let her mom and dad have the cottage to themselves. They'd understood that she'd needed some independence from them and was never too far away.

Jake had ceased to direct her and she took over, moving in the direction of her room. She mounted the stairs and he released her waist to let her go. Instead of letting him go however, Nessie took his hand and urged him to go with her. They had things to discuss.

Coming to a halt in her room she let go of his hand and moved to sit on her bed. He stood in the doorway looking uncertain.

"Why are you so intense, Jake?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm imprinted on you, Nessie." It was his explanation for everything. It didn't help or really explain anything.

She threw her hands in the air and flung back on the bed, landing in a huff. "You know that's not good enough, Jacob."

He hung his head and then dropped into the chair that was beside my bed. "I know. I…it's the only way I know how to explain it. I am drawn to you and I can't help these feelings I have towards you. You know how it is, Nessie. It's not gravity, it's you. I know you've heard that before, but it's all I have for you."

She swivelled her head on her bed to look at him. He'd gone from being a second-father to a big brother to someone she could truly count on in such a short period of time. Looking at him now, she could remember the times clearly when he was just there to take care of her, but those feelings of love weren't the same. She had deeper feelings for him now, feelings she couldn't describe and feelings that she was truly afraid of.

He looked at her with hooded eyes, his brows furrowed and deep in thought. "You've never tried to kiss me," she said.

This surprised him. Nessie had to admit it even surprised her by saying it. His hooded eyes burst open in surprise. "I…you…you've never been interested in that kind of thing before," he answered.

Nessie didn't know what she could say to that. It's true she hadn't been interested before. If he was going to be there for her though she wanted to know exactly what she was getting herself into. She extended my arm towards him, asking him to take her hand.

He went down on his knees beside her bed and took her hand.

"_Does it make a difference that I'm interested now?"_

Jake met Nessie's gaze and brought her hand to his lips, delicately kissing the back. "Are you sure?"

"_I'm sure. Please kiss me." _

A slow smile spread across his face and he started to lean forward. Her heart started to race. She was about to get her very first kiss. It seemed right that Jake would be her first kiss. He'd been there for her whole life. When his lips touched hers fireworks exploded and she lost all thought except for the focus she held on his mouth. It was everything she had ever imagined and more. And when it ended she almost whimpered out loud. She held it back though and let herself bask in the feeling. Her eyes stayed closed. His fingers played with the hair around her face and she couldn't help but let the smile light up her face.

"_I'm really glad you're mine, Jake."_

"Thank you, Renesmee, for letting me stay."

"_I never would have made you leave. I just need my space from time to time."_

"I know. I'll try to be less overbearing."

He rested his forehead on hers and she could feel the heat radiating on her skin. He was so warm. It was one of the things she loved about him.

"I adore you, Nessie. And I love you."

"_I love you too Jake, but not the way you want me to love you. In time I'll figure it out though."_

"That's all I could ever hope for," he replied, kissing her again.

Nessie no longer wanted to run away from the world. She knew that the people she was with, her family, and her werewolf, would protect her and give her all she could ever want for. And she had Jake, someone she could really count on, knowing he would always protect her and he would always love her. She did not love him the way he wanted, and that wasn't the first time he had heard that. Nessie knew all about her mother's past with Jake, but she knew his love for her was genuine and he would not deter. She wanted to love him like that, and she knew in her heart that she would grow to. Even if he was annoying from time to time.


End file.
